V4 An Honest Review From A Sceptic

Is said that, I did, me

 

All true, but what if it rains? No credits just lost money unless you want to perfect the wet line around the place. Just hope that you arn't running semi slick sportsbike tyres. I have always said that I'd love to have a crack at the place on full wets.
Training days are conducted by two german companies, Motorrad as already mentioned by others and also Doc Scholl. Both very good.

Yeah he was rumoured to be on a theoretical sub 7. But that is of no importance considering the injuries he sustained, here's hoping his recovery is going well. I would say that Andy after setting his record spent maybe 4 years trying to better it. Giving up when he pinballed off the armco after hitting fluid at 130mph. He was very very lucky not to get the free helicopter ride.

 

Wrong, the bike is together and has been running. He's just sorting some electrical gremlins out on it. It was a mess.
Popping over to his gaff during the week to play about with carbon fibre.

 

I am Roy??? Anyway, he has to get it together as he needs a bike. He flogged the gixer he'd been rattling about on. Plus he's building a race R1 so he can go play with others, as for the ring record stuff, I doubt he will push it anymore to try and break records. His real want is to do the isle of man TT
So he needs to get a bike together so he can get some signatures on the licencehe hasn't got yet.

 

Absolutely spot on

 

I think it needs the race fairing - hides that exposed metalwork and helps the lines flow front to back. Looks a lot sleeker IMHO

 

Good review, thanks.

I'm not sure if it's me but I've seen very few shots where the bike looks to have a real deep red paint. The shots I've seen including these make the body look almost like coloured plastic rather than a sprayed fairing, it's really hard to explain but it makes the fairing look a bit cheap. There are also a number of fold lines in the fairing that just catch the light completely wrong.

It's my personal view and tbh I still haven't seen the bike in the flesh. I am sure it looks great in the flesh, and I hope that the engine might feed down into a smaller bike, but I suspect this is unlikely and that we will probably see the 959 getting upped to 1000cc and that staying as the 'smaller' panigale. Even so I don't think it will be until 2020 inline with Euro 5.

 

See post #74 for it in the flesh...

 

Its absolutely hideous. It will undoubtedly be very quick and be a track day tool. But if I wanted a hideous looking bike to do track days on, that even a numpty like me could be quick with, I'd buy an S1000rr for half the price. For the road, I want a Ducati to be an attractive looking bike first and foremost. This bike is not one I'd choose above the current bikes from alternative manufacturers. Esp at the inflated prices demanded for what is essentially a VRF800 with a desmo in it.

 

It's like, you could put a comfy chair next to an MV Agusta F4 1000 ORO Carbon and you can sit there looking at every exquisite curve, fold, angle, detail and line and see why some see it as motorcycle porn and spend hours looking at it. It is Sophia Loren as she was in her younger days

Then you put that same chair next to the v4 and the first thing that comes into your mind is, Kathy Burke

 

What about the Speciale? That's just a paint job and everyone loves it?? I think it just doesn't suit the standard red paint so well.

 

Thanks for the review, very interesting read, it is for sure a lot of cash, I'm not sold on looks and have seen a bike, things do grow on you over time but I'm not convinced this has the beauty of models before from my standpoint. Always best to let new models settle in with other owners and get the gremlins ironed out is always my policy as well, I do wonder although numbers pre booked so to speak were high that fast depreciation could be a real concern, I'm just not convinced although I love all ducati's like most of us!

 

Thanks for the review. That's great insight.

I'm coming from an S1000RR to my first Ducati, so I will only be able to make that particular comparison when my V4 arrives. The quick shifter on the first S1000RR was rubbish, and it only really worked for me on the 3rd generation. Even then it felt a bit odd. I'm interested to see what the Ducati experience is like.

As I'm more of a track day poser than a possessor of any talent, the sense I'm getting in general is that its easy to ride. Gone are the days when I was supple and fit enough to throw a Superbike around the track on my limit for an extended period. So this is music to my ears.

I note that Motociclismo have now tested many of this years bikes. I won't spoil it but you can see their verdict at 27:20